State Library of South Australia

'Bob, the railway dog' at Port Augusta [B 6422] • Photograph

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Summary

PORT AUGUSTA: 'Bob, the railway dog' sitting on top of the driver's car of a stationary locomotive at Port Augusta Railway yard, railway staff stand in a group alongside the vehicle. Left to right: C.E. Dench, G. Graham, T. Nicholls, G. Denham, Harrison or Spooner, ?, T. Stack, ?; on engine: Fred Lyons, J.W. Roberts.

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Physical description

Photograph; 15.2 cm x 10.1 cm

Dates / Publication details

Approximately 1887

Collection

Part of Port Augusta Collection

Subject

Bob (Dog)
Dogs -- South Australia
Railroads -- South Australia -- Employees
Locomotives -- South Australia -- Port Augusta

Catalogue record

Return to catalogue

Historical information

'Bob, the railway dog' was owned by Mr. W.S. Ferry of Peterborough, a guard on a wheat train; as Bob fretted if he was left at home he was allowed to travel on the train and at the age of 18 months began his long career as South Australia's famous 'Railway Dog'. The railway staff looked after him and he travelled all over the State, and eventually interstate, being present at the opening of the railway line from Peterborough to Broken Hill and at the opening of the Hawkesbury Bridge in N.S.W. He died at the age of about seventeen on July 29 1895 after visiting a butcher's shop in Hindley Street, Adelaide where he was a regular customer. After barking at a passing dog he died from a heart attack. A newspaper cutting stuck to the back of this photograph states: "On a spring morning in 1885, 32 years back, Bob, then a young puppy, was among about 200 other dogs in a sheep van bound from Terowie to the far north, above Quorn, there to be used in exterminating rabbits. The train stopped at Peterborough, and I saw Mr. William Seth Ferry, then foreman porter at Peterborough, exchange another dog for Bob. Bob was taken from the sheep truck and commenced his railway career that minute. Mr Ferry trained him as a puppy to do all sorts of tricks, and later when he was guard on the narrow gauge northern lines, took Bob thousands of miles with him in the guard's van. Occasionally Bob went with enginemen, riding on the coal stacked on the tender. Mr Ferry left the road to become assistant stationmaster at Peterborough. Mr Short, now Railway Commissioner in Western Australia, was then stationmaster at Peterborough and the write goods clerk. Bob, however, loved the engine whistle and the rattle of the trains and took possession of his seat on the coal stacked on the engine tender of any out or homeward bound train. Peterborough was his home. Bob travelled hundreds of thousands miles this way. His cheery bark and wagging tail greeted thousands. Children in particular would exclaim 'There's Bob! Good old Bob', as the trains went by. There was not one permanent way man's kiddie who did not have a wave for Bob at one time or another. He did a steamer trip from Port Augusta to Port Pirie by mistake. A Pirie engine's whistle was enough for Bob. He was on the way to reach it almost before the boat touched the wharf. For many years he wore a collar, placed on him by friendly enginemen, inscribed: 'Stop me not, but let me jog, For I am Bob, the Driver's Dog'. If there is a better home than this planet for dogs, hundreds of railway men who knew and loved Bob will join me in hoping that he reached it. He died many years ago. His skin was stuffed, and for years stood in a glass case in the Exchange Hotel. If in existence now it would be a generous deed to send it to the railwaymen at Peterborough".

Digitisation information

Date

06/09/2005

Format

image/tiff

Resolution

3,351 x 2,121 pixels (7.1 MP)

Size

21.36 MB

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